It’s official. Peyton Manning is mortal.
After 227 consecutive starts, second only to a certain Wrangler Jeans-wearing gunslinger among quarterbacks in NFL history, Peyton Manning’s Iron Man Streak will come to an end this Sunday, his recovery from neck surgery proving too much to overcome in time for Indy’s opener against Houston.
The impact of this is far-reaching. In fact, it’s league-wide. The man who is the face of the NFL, both through his Hall of Fame-caliber play and his image, on and off the field, will miss the first game he’s missed through all of his career. That’s not even going into the impact on the fans; imagine all of the frustrated fantasy owners who have had Manning pegged as a keeper year after year (myself included). Those unfortunate souls will now have to look for other options at quarterback (here’s lookin’ at you, Kevin Kolb).
However, this has a more profound impact on two entities, the first of which being the AFC South.
The Colts, with Manning at the helm, have won the division seven out of the nine years it has existed, and made the playoffs as a wild card during the other two. While there’s no disputing the talent level on those Colts teams, the franchise seemed to be beginning a downward trend in 2010. It was still the best in its division, for sure, but something about them-whether it was caused by injuries, the talent on the team, or Manning’s age-made them seem a step slower than the Colts of old.
Let’s face it; without Manning, it is doubtful that the Colts would have won that division last year. Now, not only are the Colts without their franchise quarterback, but they’re starting a guy (Kerry Collins) whose best days are not only behind him, but who seemed perfectly content with retirement less than a month ago. Heap the responsibility of having to learn the Colts’ complex offense in two weeks on top of that, and it seems too tall a task, even for a quarterback with over 40,000 yards passing and a Super Bowl appearance over the course of his pretty successful career.
The division is up for grabs. Jacksonville likely ruined their best chance at capturing the South when they released David Garrard on Tuesday, but Houston and Tennessee still loom. While not many expect a whole lot out of the Titans this year, the Texans, who have always had the level of talent to compete with the Colts, know that this is a make-or-break season for them. With Manning now out of the picture, they almost have to capitalize on this opportunity.
The thing is, though, we knew that the Colts were going to lose Manning eventually. He’s 35, and only has a few years of the elite play to which he’s accustomed, at best. Adding two neck surgeries in the past year to the equation is certainly not encouraging. For all we know, this could be the beginning of the end for Number 18.
If it is, then we’ll get a preview of life after Peyton this Sunday. The Colts’ quarterback play was so dismal during the preseason that they had to bring in a journeyman who is now a borderline NFL starter on his best day. Indy’s running game and defense, both weaknesses that have been exploited in recent years, will have to pick up the slack.
Knowing this to be true, it could be a long season in Indianapolis, and it may not get any better from here.